by SteveA » Thu May 06, 2010 9:07 am
Well first i'd have to say that the SWF that I had was not one of the custom shop models, it wasn't a research pedal. My guess is it was probably more akin to the Smokey Orange fuzz that made the transition to the Arctic White. I say this because 1) It had no custom shop logo, 2) It had all of the modifications (increased gain and tone range). My biggest observations was that the SWF I had was fuzzy at even the lowest levels, whereas the ALF cleans up really well giving you a smooth mellow, warm delightful tone. The SWF I had could not do that. Its also one of the things i've come to appreciate a lot out of the ALF.
BJ has made references that the gain levels and tone control have been modified on the AWF compared to the SWF. On my model the range and gain were comparable but I suspect those are two things you may have to watch out for in the earlier models.
Also, the sound was just slightly more polished overall with the fuzz a tad more focused. I imagine the difference to be even more striking when compared to earlier models.
Again, these are just my experiences between the two models I was able to compare. My opinion is that anyone strictly looking for the fuzz sound would have been happy with either.
BJF: BPB, CHII, MG, MH4K, PGC, PH, LGW & RRB